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CSTO plans to establish contacts with China — press secretary

It is noted that the CSTO upheld the Chinese President Xi Jinping’s statement made during the talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on December 15

MOSCOW, December 16. / TASS /. The Collective Security Treaty Organization wants to put the establishment of dialogue and cooperation with China on the agenda in order to safeguard security and stability in the region, CSTO Press Secretary Vladimir Zainetdinov told TASS on Thursday.

"The issue of establishing dialogue and cooperation with China is being brought to the CSTO agenda. We believe that the contacts should be based on the universally acknowledged principles of international law, in line with the objectives and principles of the UN Charter and the CSTO Charter," the Russian official noted.

According to Zainetdinov, the CSTO upheld the Chinese President Xi Jinping’s statement made during the talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on December 15. The Chinese head of state voiced Beijing’s intention to resume flexible and multifaceted cooperation with Russia and other CSTO countries in order to maintain security and stability in the region.

On December 15, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held talks via video linkup. Aide to the President Yury Ushakov revealed that the meeting lasted for about an hour and a half. According to him, the presidents managed to touch upon "literally all urgent and essential problems" - from security guarantees for Moscow in Europe to the establishment of new alliances in the Asia-Pacific region. Furthermore, Putin and Xi Jinping discussed bilateral ties and future meetings, one of which will likely take place in February 2022.

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